The results to this tumultuous election are coming up fast. It has been a crazy ride, and every citizen of the US will be holding their breath for the next couple of days (and perhaps for the next four years). This is an election that could potentially define the future course, and identity, of our nation. This is particularly applicable to foreign relations. We must consider how others will view us depending on who is elected. However, this election is also defining things internally. Within the country, the new generation of voters seems more excited and involved than ever.
I am a millennial, and this is the first election I’m eligible to vote in. This means the vast majority of people I know are in this situation as well. Elections are always a time of turmoil among family and friends. Political differences rise to the top and boil. Social media is flooded with opinions and analysis and graphs. No one is not involved. But how many people actually vote? Voter turnout actually went down between 2008 and 2012. It was less than 60% during the last election.
I don’t know a single person who is not excited to vote, and who isn’t urging every single person to vote. Many celebrities have been coming forth and urging people to vote, all the way from Miley Cyrus to Lewis C.K. Part of this impression might be my heightened involvement with politics during this election, but I believe I am simply one of many. This election, given its controversy, has been drawing voters out in droves. Particularly, millennials who have been typically unmoved by the current political system are becoming very involved.
This probably started with Bernie Sanders, as most of us didn’t consider Trump even a viable candidate. However, with the fall of Sanders and the rise of Trump, many of us took a new stand. I cannot speak for where everyone stands, but we saw how particularly important his election is. Given this, a great movement has emerged to encourage young voters to participate. There has always been an attempt to get more people in general to vote, but it seems there is actually a feeling of necessity in this election.
This is because this election is a statement of character this year. Every year it is to an extent, of course. But this year, it goes beyond simple political beliefs. It goes into moral beliefs, and that is something millennials are more than excited to involve themselves in, hipsters particularly. We’re a generation searching for an identity. We stand between a generation of hard workers and a future of unforeseen technology. We are on the precipice of two worlds and can define how we as a nation move forward.
If this is all too dramatic, at least be satisfied with the increase in voter turnout. The numbers have not been released yet, and as we all stand in anticipation, we hope they will fall in our favor. Whichever way they fall, at least we can all say we tried for once.
